Pneumatic door-operating mechanism.



T. RLBBOWN. PNEUMATIC DOOB OPERATING MECHANISM. APPLICATION FILED [A315, 1908. nmwnip nnflz, 1909.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

INVENTOR UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE,

THOMAS 3. BROWN, or NEW YORK, N. Y., ASSIGNOB, BY mnsnn ASSIGNMENTS, 'ro

NATIONAL PNEUMATIC COMBANY, A CORPORATION OF WEST VIRGINIA.

PNEUMATIC DOOR-OPEI {ATIN G MECHANISM.

Specification of Letters Patent. Patented Aug, 29, 1911.

Application filed March 15,1906, Serial No. 306,128. Renewed March 12. 1909. Serial No. 483,055;

, the claims.

l uresent my invia'ition herein applied to a car for opening and closing the door thereof, and in its preferred embodiment my invention comprises means whereby upon the nan'cinent of a control handle to one position, compressed air will be caused to ef.

feet the unlatching and opening of the door and upon the movement of said handle to another position, the same air, then acting against; a surface oi larger area, will be caused to "etl'ect the closing of the door, the latter becoming latched upon reaching its Clt. ted position. I thus utilize the air by which the door opened for .closil'ig the same and avoid the waste of air which WOlllti result it one supply of air from the reservoir were en'iployed in opening the door and another supply thereof for closing the door.-

I have i-lliiistrated, in this application, the cylinder within which the ai acts to both open and close the door as arranged at the upper edge of tltc latter, but said cylinder may be disposed at the lower edge of the door, if so desired. 1 The invention will be fully understood li'ol'n the detailed description hereinafter presented. reference being had to the accompan ying drawin 's, in. which: i i

Figure 1 is a side elevation, partly broken away and partly in section, of a car equipped with door operating mechanism crmstrueted in accordance with and embodying my invention; Fig, 2 is an enlarged central vertical longitudinal section, partly broken away, through one end of the operating cylinder and connected parts, this end of the cylinder being that Within which the air acts to open the door and which may therefore, for convenience, be termed I the opening-end of the cylinder; Fig. 3 is aven and combinations of parts hereinafter tical transverse section, on thc dotted line 33 of Fig. 2, of a divided pipe upon which the operating cylinder performs its more-- ments and through which the air, bymeans of independent passages, is conducted to the respective ends of the cylinder;

\"iew corresponding. with Fig. but .lus-

trating a modified form of a part of the nvention, and Fig, 5 is a like view illustrating a further modified form ot-a part of the invention.

Inthe drawings, ddignates a portion" of an ordi 'iary car, 11 the door thereof, 12 the control-valve casing, 13 thesup jilv pipe leading thereto from a reservoir, not shown,

for compressed air, 1-1 the pipe leading from said casing to the casing 15 for the door latching devices and extendingthence by means of a branch pipe 16 to a header 117 and thence by means of a passage or pipe 18 (F 1g. 9) formed within the tube 19to the opening end 20 of the cylinder 21, and 22 a pipe leading fromthe control-valve casing.

12 to said he-aderli' and thence by me isof nlssage or pipe 23 (Fig. 2) formed \ljitllln said tubelt) anda port 24 extending through the piston-head 25, to. the closing end 26' of said cylinder 21. 'lhecylinder 2 1'is con nected with and disposed above the upper edge of the door 11, and said door and cylinder are suspended by rollers 27 01111}. rail 28, upon which said rollers may travel during the opening and closing of the door. The piston is secured upon onccnd of the tube 19, which stationary and whose other end is secured in the header 17, and said tube 19 passes through the. cylinderhead 29 and is in line with thelongitudiiull center of the cylinder, whereby during the opening andclosing of the door said cylinder may travel upon said tube. A A packing 30 is provided within the cylinder 21 to en gage the surfaceof'the tube 19, and the piston 25 is preferably of the cup type. The tube 19 contains the bar 31, whiclrstrengthens the tube and facilitates the securing of the same to the piston 25' and in addition,

by its flat sides (Fig. 3), forms within said tube the air passages or pipes .18, 23, the former of which (Fig. 52) starts directly above and is in conununication with the pipe 16. while the passage 23 extends out to the end of the tube 19 and is in communication with the pipe 22. The passage 18 communicates with the opening-end 20 of the cyl1nvalre fis.a two-way.valveof any suitable character adapted when. the handle 33 is turned to one position to place the supply p pe 13 in communication with the pipe 14 andjwh'eii placed in another or closing posi-,

tion to out ofi' thepipe 13 and place the pipes let, in'jcommunication with each other, so 15. that the air in the h P11 22. v,

l I do not limitmyinvention toany special form of two-wayvalve within the casing 12,

2 0 inf-detail in my application Serial No. 483,058 of 'even date herewith for Letters Patent for improvements in door operating mechanisms," 'YVithinjthecasing 15 for the door latching. 2 s devices is provided avertical plunger-valve 33L which projects a vertical stem 35 directly loclo' wa pivoted latch 36 adapted to engage a vCatch arm 37 secured to thedoor 11. the valve 34 is in its lower posi tion the stem 35 permits the latch 36 to rcma min.engagementwith the catch arm 37, and "said valve 34 when in its lower position -euts,0fi communication from the pipe 14; to the pi 1e When' air is admitted to the 35 pipe lfor opening the 'door it will elevate the,valveBtand disengage the latch 36 from the ,catch-arm ,'37 and also open the port to theipipes 1'6, into'which the airwill pass on its" way to the opening end of the cylinder 21.1..71hlatch'36 will remain in its elevated position'so long'ais the air pressure remains in'.tliepipe 1 1, but after the door 21 has been opened and then closed the air-in the pip svstemis permitted to exhaust and at such', 'me the valve 34 will descend and the latch- ,36flwi ll automatically retingagc the catch arfm 37.

lii the 'operation of my invention, the door be'ing in its closed position, the control han'dle'fil willhe mo'ved to" place the supply f-in connnunication with the door openin gip'ipe 14 and thereupon the com-- ,pressedia r, will flow through the pipe 14- to the casinglfi,unlatching the door, and-then ,thmugli thehranch pipe 16 to the header 17 ganlrlltlrerufie through the-branch 18 and port i the opening end 20 of the cylinder 2 ereinthe air acting against the pisand oylinder-hcad'2f), will. fiance the lei along the tube It) and thereby ell'ect ,jthe movement of the door 11 to its open p0 .sitiomthe closingen d 26 of said cylinder reaching aposition adjacent to the. piston 23 when-[the door attains its. open position.

pipe 14 may expandinto butone e gta lnplefof such valve is illustrated pressure is permitted to exert its force through the pipe 14: and against the cylinder head .29. \Vhen it is desired to close the door- 1 1 the controlhandle will be moved to its closed position and thereby cut off the a]; supply pipe 13 and place the pipes 14, 22 in communication with each other, whereupon the air within the pipe system L1 and within the cylinder 21 at the oiening side of the piston,will expand into the pipe 22 and pass thence through the header 1?, passage 23 and port Bite the opening end 26 of the cylinder 21, wherein said air will act to move the cylinder and door back to their initial position, closing the door. Upon thedoor l reaching its closed position a by-pass groove 38in the wall of the cylinder, at-the open ing end thereof, becomes partly.uncovered and permits the air within the cylinder 21 and connected pipe systems to exhaust around the piston andthrough the port 32 into the passage18 from which it escapes by means of a small vent 39 (Fig. 2,),whereupon the air pressure being relieved the valve 34 in the latch casing 15 will descend to its initial position and permit the latch 36 to pass into reengagement with the catch arm 37, locking the door in its closed position. The areas of by-pass groove 38 and of exhaust vent 39 should be so relatively pro portioncd and restricted with reference to port opening 32that when the pressure medium is initially admitted through pipe 18 to the opening end of the cylinder a move ment of the cylinder will be inaugurated to an extent sulficient to cause by-pass grooves 38 and exhaust vent 39 to be closed before. any lnaterial exhaust of pressure medium will take place. 7 i

In Fig. 4 I illustrate a modified construc- 105 tion embodying my invention in that I omit from the tube 19 of Fig. 1 the bar 31 and connect the 'pipe 1G with the openingend of the cylinder 21 by means of a. tube or raterior pipe 40 and extend the tube 19 directly through the piston 25 so to form the passage for the air to the closing-end of the cylinder. The tube 40 of Fig. 4 corresponds with the passage 18 of Fig. 2 and the chainber through the tube 19 corresponds with the passage 23 of Fig. 2. Fig. 4 differs from Fig. 2 merely in detail and not in operation or in any essential particular. The exhaust passage 18 in Fig. 1 cooperates with a simi I lar passage 41 formed in the exterior wall 120 of the tube 19, for permitting the air to exhaust from the cylinder when the door is inn. its closed position. in Fig. 5 the modification consists in the I omission of the tube 19 containing the passages lczuling toitlie respectiveends of the cylinder and in sllbstit-uting'therefor two separate pipcs42, 43 upon which the cylinder will travel and which correspond to the passages 18, 23 of Fig. 2. The pipe 42 leads from the pipe 16 the cylinder. through a port H. The pipe 42 is also provided with the exhaust apertln'e locorrespondiug with the exhaust aperture 39 or Fig. 2. The pipew-1l3 is in comn'mnieation with the pipe through the header 17 and leads through the piston so as to communicate at. the proper time with the closing end of the cylinder 21. The modification shown in Fig. 5 differs construction from what is illustrated in Fig. 2. without varying the function or 'ope 'ation of the apparatus.

What I claim as my invention and desire to secure by Letters-Patent, is

.1. In combination, in amechanism for moving doors or other devices, an element to be moved. a cylinder connected to the movable element to move therewith and presenting at its ends opposing faces of unequal effective area to be acted upon, respectively. by com n'essed air, a stationary piston within said cylinder, a manually operable control mire count-acted with a source of. supply of the compressed air, pipes lead-- ing therefrom to the respective sides of said piston, said valve being adapted, when uoved to one" position. to admit the air to me of .said pipes and thence to the cylinler to which it is ctmnected. .to move the novable element in one direction, and when noved to another position to cutoil the ill supply and place said pipes in commuiication with each other. whereby the air lsed at.- one end of the cylinder to move the INH'NlJll. element in one direction is perallied to expand into the other end of the \linder and utilized to more said element a the opposite direction to its initial posiion. substantially as set forth.

to the opening end of and con'nnnnlcatestherewith" only in detail of 2. In combination, in a mechanism for moving doors or other devices, an element to be moved, a cylinder connected thereto to move therewith, a piston arranged in said cylinder, a piping connected to the piston and extending out throughthe cylinder head and forming air passages, one member of the piping passing through the piston and delivering to one side thereof and anotherterminating adjacent the piston and delivering to the opposite side of the piston, means connected with a source of supply of compressed air and leading to one mem-. ber of said piping to n'rove the movable ele ment in one direction, and means for cut ting off the air supply and placing the membersof said piping in 'con'lmunication with each other for permitting the air to expand into the other end of the cylinder to move said element in the opposite direction, substantially as set forth.

3. In combination, in a mechanism for moving doors or other devices. an element to be moved, a cylinder connected thereto to move therewith, said cylinder having opposing end faces of unequal etfective area, a stationary piston arranged within said cylinder, pressure delivery connections to said cylinder on therespective sides-of said piston, a valve for controlling the supply of pressure medium to one of said connections, said valve also operating, when actuated, to place. said connections in conmnmication with each other.

Signed at New York of New York, and State 13th day of March. A. D. 1906.

THOMAS vR. BROVN.

city. in the county lVitnesses \RTIIUB MARION, (Jnas. C. GlLL.

of New York, this 

